As we have already discovered in multifaceted ways at previous workshops, perspective influences fact. We might all witness the same event but, depending on mood and motive, our individual interpretation will inevitably vary. In film, this is often referred to as The Rashomon Effect (so named after the Akira Kurosawa film featuring multiple testimonies to the same crime). With that in mind, I present to you a setting, time period and inciting incident…
There is a bus rolling down a country road at dusk. On it there are a mixture of passengers and, of course, a driver. Halfway along the journey, a large animal rushes across the road. The bus swerves to avoid it and gets stuck in a ditch.
A scenario you’ve likely seen a few times before tonight, but here is the difference. On the bus there is:
- A detective on the case.
- A killer with a secret.
- A pair of lovers with questions.
- A writer facing a deadline.
- A mother stuck in the past.
- A child in a sulk.
- A driver with a distraction.
How would each of these people with their preoccupations deal with the bus crash? What would they see of the large animal? No-one gets a full view of it but everyone sees some part of the beast before the bus is detoured. Your challenge is to write their testimony.
Mind you, there could be other passengers on the bus I haven’t mentioned. Is there a stowaway that the driver doesn’t know about? You could even choose an unlikely perspective to take, including the large animal or the bus itself.
The only rules for this workshop are:
- It is night.
- There is a bus.
- There is a large animal.
- There is a crash.
Activity 1 – Discovering Your Character
Spend 15 minutes outlining a profile for your chosen character. Who are they? What are they focused on prior to the incident? What changes when the incident happens? What do they see? What do they retain most?
Activity 2 – Write the Testimony
Spend 30-45 minutes writing what your chosen character sees before, during and after the bus crashes. You can write this like a witness testimony if you like but feel free to write in a different format. Write a monologue, dialogue or even a poem if you prefer. Play with genre if the feeling takes you. There are no set rules beyond:
- It is night.
- There is a bus.
- There is a large animal.
- There is a crash.
With a slew of unreliable narrators, let’s see what kind of Rashomon Effect we can muster.
“Night Bus” by Kurayba is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Owen Townend – August 2026
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